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July 2016 HR Newsletter

Fireworks and backyard barbecues are a good sign that July is officially here. Coming back to the office after a 4th of July celebration is always difficult, even more difficult is working with summer scheduling. This month we take a look at summer scheduling challenges, exemption in the workforce, and additional information on the changes to the FLSA.

Working With Summer Scheduling Challenges

With summer underway employees have more scheduling challenges than usual. Vacations, summertime child care concerns, and the desire to take advantage of nice weather with an afternoon (or day) off all contribute to employees missing more work in the summer months.

How you respond to these matters will of course be heavily dependent on the nature of your business, but consider making allowances when you can. Working with employees to create a schedule that will allow the necessary work to get done, while recognizing that they have obligations and interests outside of work, will help employees feel valued as individuals. This makes for a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce overall. Below are a few offerings you might consider.

Flexible Scheduling
Many jobs don’t allow for flexible work schedules, but if you’re able to let your employees modify their schedules ahead of time – or even last minute (when necessary for them and possible for you) – you’ll generally receive some benefit in return, like increased loyalty and willingness to go the extra step next time it’s needed. With proper planning and execution, employees will still be able to get their work done, and with time set aside in advance for their outside activities and responsibilities, they’ll be able to better focus on the tasks at hand when they do sit down to work.

Telecommuting
If the proper tools are available, telecommuting may enable an employee to get the day’s work done while out of the office. This may be especially helpful when an employee has a child who needs the presence of an adult, but not their full attention, or when they’re riding along as a passenger on a long road trip. If employees are able to get their work done remotely, they won’t have to take paid time off and you won’t have to suffer the loss of productivity.

Reduced Hours
Sometimes creative scheduling and telecommuting just won’t work for the employee or the employer. In this case, you might look at reduced hours for a period of time, or even a personal leave of absence. This is obviously more of a burden to employers than the other options, but if it’s what is necessary to keep an invaluable employee around long-term, it may be worth considering.

Employer-Initiated Perks
Employers may also want to think about temporary changes to certain workplace policies or practices that would make sense for the summer months. For example, some employers have less business in the summer and choose to close the office early on Fridays during those months. Others will offer an extra day off around certain holidays, such as July 4th or Labor Day. By proactively giving employees a little extra time off, you can choose days and times that are more convenient for the company and ideally minimize employee requests for days off here and there.

Other perks, such as relaxing the dress code to allow shorts or hosting a company picnic, don’t necessarily impact scheduling directly, but they can make employees feel valued. And employees who feel valued will be less tempted to fake an illness for an afternoon in the sun.

The Bottom Line
Work-life balance is hugely important to most employees, and hugely important to an employer’s rate of turnover. In fact, work-life balance has frequently been outpolling money as the most important factor for employees, and these are the kinds of benefits most employees have in mind. While you can’t take away the stressors in employees’ personal lives, and it’s not your job to plan their summer vacation, being understanding of their scheduling wants and needs will help set you both up for success.

Tool of the Month:

One of the best systems for goal creation is the SMART goal setting method. This acronym refers to crafting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Utilizing these parameters will help you to create better, more detailed performance goals so that expectations are clear and progress can be easily measured during future meetings or the next review process. Our SMART Goals Guide on the Support Center offers guidance for using this tried and true method.

Did You Know?

The Department of Labor became a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government in 1913, on the last day of the Taft presidency, but it’s history began in 1884 when Congress established the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Department’s headquarters is located in the Frances Perkins Building, named after Frances Perkins, the Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945. She was the first female cabinet secretary in U.S. history.

HR Tip of the Month:

Almost every organization and employee is subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Since the new overtime rules were released in May, many employers have been asking if there are exceptions for small companies, nonprofits, or churches. The answer is no – there are no special carve-outs. There are two ways in which employers and employees can be covered by the FLSA; if either applies, then so do all of the FLSA rules.

The first kind of coverage is called enterprise coverage. This applies when an employee works for an employer who has an annual dollar volume of cash sales or business done of $500,000 or more (this doesn’t include charitable donations, but does look at any for-profit side business run to maintain a non-profit, like a book store). Enterprise coverage also applies if the employer is a hospital, business providing medical or nursing care for residents, school or preschool, or government agency, no matter the volume of business.

The second type of coverage is called individual coverage. Even when there is no enterprise coverage, the FLSA will cover individuals engaged in interstate commerce. If an employee makes goods that will be shipped to other states, sends or receives out-of-state shipments, places telephone calls to another state, or partakes in any number of other basic business activities that help things, money, or information cross state lines, they will qualify for individual coverage. This even includes running credit cards and processing checks.

Looking Ahead:

July 11: World Population Day
July 18: Nelson Mandela Day
July 30: International Friendship Day

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